Bucket



Aug. 27, 1935. A. E. GUENTHER 2,012,851

. BUCKET Filed Aug. 17, 19s:

Jig/M K Patented Aug. 27, 1935 UNITED STATES BUCKET Arthur E. Guenther,Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Du Pont Rayon Company, New York, N. Y., acorporation of Delaware Application August 17,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the driving of spinning buckets, such as areused in the manufacture of rayon, and the like. The invention will bedescribed in its application to the art of driving a centrifugal bucketof the type used in the manufacture of rayon and in the aftertreatmentof rayon cakes, but it is to be understood that this particulardescription does not serve to limit the claims beyond the terms foundvtherein.

In one form of centrifugal spinning machine a bucket detachable from adriving spindle is used. In order to avoid excessive strain on thedriving motor, or other driving mechanism, the bucket should be able toslip on the spindle during acceleration, but after the bucket hasattained its operating speed it should revolve at substantially constantspeed. In a common form of prior art driving connection a bucket havinga hub with an internal taper is mounted on a spindle having used duringspinning, the bucket would be given an uneven pace which woulddeleteriously affect the quality of the thread. In order to overcomethis disadvantage an auxiliary driving connection is provided whichcomes into operation after the bucket has picked up speed.

It is an object of this invention to provide a driving means capable ofslipping while the driving member picks up speed and of furnishing apractically positive drive throughout the period in which it isdesirable that the bucket revolve at constant speed.

The objects of the invention are accomplished by a multiple drive, aportion of which permits slippage and is always in action to drive thedriven member from the driving member, and a portion of which,furnishing a substantially positive drive, is brought into action bycentrifugal force at high speeds of rotation. The objects of theinvention are accomplished in some measure, furthermore, by the detailsof construction set forth hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a vertical section through adriving connection made in accordance with my invention. Figure 2 is aperspective view of the driving washer or strip.

1933, Serial No. 685,514

Figure 3 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the bottom of aspinning bucket with the driving washer in place.

In the drawing l is a driven spindle, for instance a spindle whichprojects upwardly from an electric bucket motor, which may be integralwith or separable from the motor armature or driving means; 2 is astud-like portion of the spindle which serves to aline the bucket andthe spindle and which may or may not be tapered; 3 is a cup-like memberhaving an upstanding annulus; 4 is a somewhat undercut inner face on theannulus; 5 are holes for draining the cuplike member 3 of any fluidwhich may collect therein; 6 is the hub of a centrifugal bucket such asis used in the manufacture of artificial thread by the so-called bucketprocess; I is a socket in the hub of the bucket; H is a bushing.preferably of bronze but which may be of any other suitable material,which should preferably be not too tight a fit with the spindle stud 2;6| is an annulus on the bucket hub which serves-t0 support the bucketand to furnish a driving connection between the spindle and the bucket;62 is an annular recess in the lower face of the bucket hub; 63 is aflexible washer firmly mounted in the annular seat 62; 64 are incisionsin the flexible driving member 63.

My driving connection functions as follows: When the spindle is started,particularly if it is driven by an electric motor, it picks up quick--ly to maximum speed. During the early portion of the acceleration andthe late stages of retardation the driving washer 64 is out of contactwith the spindle and takes no part in the driving of the bucket, thedriving of the bucket being done substantially entirely by contact ofthe annulus 3 with the annulus 6|, which permits slippage between thebucket and the spindle and prevents overloading the motor. As thespeedof the bucket picks up, however, centrifugal force 1 tends to throw theflexible driving member 63 into contact with the inner face of theannulus 3. That face is slightly undercut, asshown in the drawing, sothat in its centrifugally deflected position the sides of the drivingmember will make firm and flat contact with the wall of the annulus. Theincisions 64 in the driving member permit it to be deflected readilyinto driving position by centrifugal force. At the high speeds ofrotation normally used in the manufacture of, for instance, artificialthread, the drive of the bucket from the spindle is made practicallypositive by my invention.

The driving washer may be made annular or connection for driving amember from a driven member in which the driven member is permitted toslip and accelerate gradually while the driving memberaccelerates'swiftly, relieving the driving member of the great strainsincidental to swift acceleration, but furnishing a practically positivedrive at high speeds of rotation. Another advantage of the invention isthat the bucket, or other driven member, is kept from shifting. on thespindle and at all times is .kept

in balance by the pressure exerted against the spindle flange by thedriving washer. Another advantage of the invention is in an inexpensiveand readily replaceable driving connection. Other advantages of theinvention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

A prior art structure used an expansible ring mounted in the bucket hub.This invention is an improvement over that structure because it is moreeasily flexed into operative position and because it does not require anaccurate fit of the parts to become operative at reasonably low speeds.Another advantage over the said prior art structure is that the bucketcan be taken off the spindle while the spindle is revolving. This isaccomplished, as will be understood by persons skilled in the art, bythe use of a bucket brake. This feature is most desirable because, evenwith motor driven spindles, five or six bucket positions are connectedtogether to one switch and are switched on and off as a group. When athread becomes broken in the middle of spinning and when for some otherreason a particular bucket must be dofied and a new cake started, withmy invention it is possible to remove a particular bucket withoutinterfering with the operation of the other buckets on the same circuit.

Another advantage is that, after the motor has been turned off, thedriving band acts as a brake to more quickly slow down the bucket.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to beunderstood that I do not limit-myself to the specific embodimentsthereof except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A driving connection for spinning buckets and the like comprising adriven spindle, aspinning bucket having a socket for receipt of thespindle, on the spindle an upstanding annulus, on the bucket an annulusfor contact with the top of the spindle annulus, an annular recess inthe bucket, and mounted in the recess to depend flection into drivingcontact with the spindle annulus.

3. A driving connection for spinning buckets and the like comprising adriven spindle, a spinning bucket having a socket for receipt of thespindle, on the spindle an upstanding annulus, on the bucket an annulusfor contact with the top of the spindle annulus, an annular recess inthe bucket, and mounted in the recess to depend within the spindleannulus a rubber strip capable of centrifugal deflection into drivingcontact with the face of the spindle annulus.

4. A driving connection for spinning buckets and the like comprising adriven spindle, a spinning bucket having a socket for receipt of thespindle, on the spindle an annulus, on the bucket an annulus for contactwith the spindle annulus, a recess in the bucket, and maintained in therecess a rubber strip capable of centrifugal deflection into drivingcontact with the spindle annulus.

5. A driving connection for spinning buckets and the like comprising adriven spindle, a spinning bucket having a socket for receipt of thespindle, an annulus on the spindle, means on the bucket to contact withthe spindle annulus to steady the bucket, and a flexible, substantiallycircular skirt having incisions to permit it to be centrifugallydeflected into driving contact with the spindle annulus attached to thebucket, the flexibility of the skirt and the relation of the saidelements permitting relative motion of bucket and spindle at low speeds.

6. A driving connection for spinning buckets and the like comprising arotatable spindle, a spinning bucket mounted thereon, a rigid,substantially circular member attached to and surrounding the spindleand, carried by the bucket, a substantially circular skirt having Withinthe said rigid member a flexible portion capable of centrifugaldeflection into driving contact there with.

7. A driving connection for spinning buckets and the like comprising arotatable spindle and a spinning bucket mounted thereon by a connectionwhich permits relative motion at low speeds, a relatively rigid annuluson one of said members, a flexible skirt carried by the other of saidmembers projecting within the said rigid annulus, the flexibility ofsaid skirt permitting its deflection by centrifugal force into contactwith the said rigid annulus.

ARTHUR E. GUENTHER.

